Die



M.- DE LIN Oct. 20, L925- DIE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed June 30, 1924 Inuanfor mm ML 3 n l3 {fl/sum A orngg M. DE LIN Oct. 20, 1925.

DIE

Wovng Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES MARTIN DE LI EN, OF HOLLAND, MICHIGAN.

DIE.

Application filed June BO, 1924. Serial No. 723,085.

To vLZ whom it may concern:

B'e it known that I, MARTIN'DE LI N, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holland, in the county of Ottawa and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dies; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains' to make and use the same. p p

This invention relates to dies for folding the sides and ends and joining the corners of sheet metal boxesby a single operation. The die embodying this'invention is adapted to receive a flat sheet metal blank and, by a single thrust of the plunger of the punch press machine in which the die is operated, to fold the sides and ends of the ,blank at right angles to the bottom and, to fold the corner flaps about each otherand pressthe seam down and deliver the completed" box;

tions have been necessary to produce the same result and the die of thls inventlon is a very valuable addition tothe art as, by its use, a very great increase of production and decrease of fected.

The construction. and operation of the die will be more clearly understood'frorn the .fol-

. lowing description and the invention isspecifically pointed out in the claims, reference being had of the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a plan View: of the sheet metal blank used to form a box.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a box formed from the blank by a single operation of the die.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of one corner of the box showing how the flaps are folded over each other and pressed against the ends of the box to join Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation showlng the comparatively sharp corners of the sides of-the die over which the sides of the box are drawn to fold them vertically.

Fig. 5isan enlarged fragmentarysectional elevation showing the rounded corners of the ends of the die over which the ends of l the box are drawn to fold them vertically.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the die with the labor and machinery cost is efblank laid thereon, with apart of the blank broken away.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional elevation on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6 showing the blank at the beginning of the forming operation.

F igs. 8 to 12 niclusive are enlarged fragmentary sectional views showing different parts of the die and one corner of the box being operated uponyat successive stages'of the operation.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of one corner of the die with one of the forming rollers removed and,

Fig. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of one corner of the box in partially formed condition.

Like reference numbers refer to like parts p "which the longer members are termed sides Heretofore several dies and several operaand the shorter members ends, these terms being used asa means of distinguishing one from the other and not in any way attempting to limit the shape of the box to that with integrally formed flaps 5, the flaps l being considerably wider than the flaps 5. The blank illustrated in Fig. 1 is stamped from apiece of sheet metal preparatory to forming the box in the'die.

The die comprises'the side members 6 and the end members 7 joined together in the form ofa rectangle with rectangular opening through them open at both the top and bottom, the said opening beingof the exact size as the outside dimensions ofthe box. Five 5 sets of forming rollers are setinto recesses in the inner'face of the end members 7 of the die at the respective corners, each set comprising four rollers and oneroller of each set being located at each respective corner of the die in superimposed relation.

The rollers are so arranged that they will act successively upon the corner flaps 4L and 5 of the box as the blank is forced through the die from top to bottom as hereafter more fully described.

Upon the top sides of the die the guide are arranged at rightangles to ithose of'the blocks 8 are fastened by means of which the blank is properly located u on the die. A plunger 9, rectangular in s ape and of the exact size as the interior of the box is provided to force the blank through the die. It is customary to use this die-in connection with a punch press machine in which case the plunger 9 is attached by suitable means to the vertically reciprocating member of the punch pres by which it is movedu'p and down but it is possible to actuate the plunger manually or by any other suitable means. I t

Ashe plunger descends upon the blank and forces it into-the opening of the die the first action is to fold the sides 2' and ends 3 upwardly at right angles withYthe bottom as they are drawn over the upper corners of the side members 6 a-nd'end members 7 of the die. It will be notedth'at the upper corners of the-side member (5 are relatively sharp being rounded only. sufficiently to remove the sharp corne r which would have a tendency :to cut the metal of the blank, While the upper corners of the end members 7 l are considerably rounded. The

result of this construction that the sides 2 are folded upward'i'n advance ofithe ends 3 as illustrated in Figs. 4 ands so'that the flaps 4 formed integrally with the sides 2 first reach the verticalpos'ition and as the ends 3 and the flapsbthereon rise the said flaps 5 engage thefiaps {and arelturnedrou tward from the endbf'lt he 'boxaga'inst the inner'surfaces oft he flaps tas shown in Fig. 14. c

The upper set'of roi-minggroners 110 have a radius equal. to the radius of the upper corner ofthe end 7"and their ends areyspaced away from the side members 6' and 11 a distance equal to the combined "thi'ckness 'of the flaps 4: and 5 and as thepl'unger 9 f'o'rc'es the blank through the die the naps fl and 5 enter the spaces 1L1 "and the rollers 1'0 "form a sharp bend fat the juncture of the flaps 5 with the ends 3. To 'permit thefiaps 4 and 5 to form "themselves'to approximate shape before ,being engaged by'the rollers 10 and to allowea's'y entrance into the spaces at the ends of saidrollers the notches 12 arecut into the sides '6'of the die opposite the endsoftheroIIersIO. c

After the flaps leave the rollers 10 which have sharply bent'theflaps 5 jagainstthe in ne'r surfaces of the flaps l "and jleft tlie edges of the flaps 4 projectin 'beyond the flapjs 5 they are .engagediby 'tl ie second set of forming rollers '13, each. of which has an annular groove which Guns-n19 projects ing edge of "the 4. overftl1e flaps 5; Further downward movement oftthe' plunger causes 'the flaps 6136 engaged by the set 'of'forming rollers 14f, I the axes" of, which other rollers and longitudinallyoftlie die.

During all of the above described opera-- tions the plunger 9 has held the sides and ends in true shape against the inner surfacesof the die and its movement or stroke is long enough to force the box clear oftlie die through its open bottom where the box is removed from'the plunger and the plunger retu-rnsto its starting position.

The movement of the plunger in forcing the blank through the diefto form the box, is comparatively fast and the forming operations I occur v very rapidly. The guide blocks 8a1low the blanks to --be located upon the 'die with little lost time between strokes of the plunger and a very large quantity'of boxes may be completed with "the die in "a short time. Furthermore the boxes so formed are of uniform size and accurate shape. 7

1. device of the class described comprising a die having a rectangular opening therethrough, rollers mounted at the corners of the die adapted to successively operate upon the flaps of the sides and ends of a box blank to interlock them "as the blank from which the box is formed is forcedthroughfthe die, and means .forforcing a "blank through the die substantially as described.

2. A device of the class'descri'b'edcomprising a die having a rectangular opening therthrough, the 'upper corners of the sides of the dle being relativelysliarp and the upper corners of the ends of the die "being relatively rounded, means within the die at each corner forfoldin'g one of the corner flaps over. the other and for folding-the flaps against the ends of the box as the blank is forced through the die, and means for forcfing a blank through the die.

3. A device of the class described comprising; a die having an opening therethrough of the same size as the outside of a box to be formed, a plurality of rollers lo- 'Jcated 1n superimposed relation at each of the respective corners of "the die to successively'operate upon the respective side and end flaps of"the"blank "fro n which the box is "to be formed "to fold them about each other anda plunger of the samesi'ze'as the inside of the box'to" force. the blank through 4. Aklevice ofthe class described comprising a die having a rectangular opening therethrough, a plurality of sets of rollers mounted at the respective corners of the die in superimposed relation and adapted to successively operate upon the corner flaps of a blank from which a box is to be formed to fold one flap over the other and to fold both flaps against the end of the box, and means for forcing the blank through the die.

5. A device of the class described comprising a die having a rectangular opening therethrough, the upper corners of the sides of the die being relatively sharp and the upper corners of the ends of the die being relatively rounded, a plurality of forming rollers arranged in superimposed relation at each respective corner of the die to operate successively upon the corner flaps of the box, the rollers at each respective corner being adapted to fold one of the flaps over the other and to fold both of the flaps against the end of the box, and means for forcing a blank through the die.

6. A device of the class described comprising a die having side members and end members joined together in rectangular relation With a rectangular opening therea through, the upper corners of the side members being relatively sharp and the upper corners of the end members being relatively rounded, a set of rollers arranged near the top of the die, one at each corner thereof and spaced away from the sides of the die a distance equal to the combined thickness of a side flap and an end flap of the box, a second set of rollers located beneath the first set, one at each corner of the die, each having an annular groove to curl one flap over the other, a third set of rollers located beneath the second set, each being adapted to complete the folding operation of one flap over the other, a fourth set of rollers located beneath the third set, each having an annular groove to partially fold both flaps against the end of the box, a fifth'set of rollers located beneath the fourth set and adapted to complete the folding of both flaps against the end of the box, and a plunger the same size as the inside of the box, adapted to force a blank through the die.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature.

MARTIN DE LIN. 

